Valve-movement for steam-engines.



PATENTED DEC. 15,- 1903.

W. G. BROWN. VALVE MOVEMENT FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLIGATIQN FILED APR. 22, 1903.

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No. 746,667. I PATENTED DEG.15, 1903. W. 0-; BROWN. VALVE MOVEMENT FORSTEAM ENGINES.

- APPLICATION FILED APIL 22, 1903. V v

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Patented December 15, 1908.

WILLIAM C. BROWN, OF NEVV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HENRY RQ WORTH- INGTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

VALVE-MOVEMENT FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

$PEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,667, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filed April 22, 1903. Serial No. 153,725. (No model.)

The especial object of the present invention is to providean improved valve-movement 4 for multiple-expansion duplex engines by which the length of the engine may be re? duced, a short cut-oft link for the high-pressure cylinder be permitted, and the use of cross-heads on the piston-rods for operating.

the valve-movement be avoided. The invention is intended especially for vertical engines, but may also be used for horizontal engines in cases Where the results attained by the invention are desired. In the preferred construction embodying the invention I attain the desired results in =a triple or quadruple expansion engine by mounting the crossover rock-shafts and le vers of aduplex valve-movement between the high and intermediate pressure cylinders and operating the rock-shaft levers by rods from thelow-pressure pistons instead of from cross-heads on the piston-rods- 1 While the invention is especially designed for triple-expansion engines and certain im-' portant results are attained therein which are not secured in compoundengines, the inven-E tion includes also a similararrangementin en pansion duplex engine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same with one of the low-pressure cylinders partly sectioned to show the construction. Figs 3 and 4 are views simi- 5,5 lar to Figs. 1 and 2, showing a compound engine embodying the broader features of the invention. 1

Referring now especially to Figs. 1 and 2, A B O are the high, intermediate, and low pressure cylinders on one side of the engine,

.and A B Cthe corresponding cylinders on pressure cylinders, as preferred.

In the construction shown cut-off valves are used only on the high-pressure cylinder, and separate cut-0E valves are employed, the admission-valves on the three cylinders being shown as operated by cranks 10 on the valvestems connected together and to the crossover rock-shafts by links 11, and the highpressure cut-off valves are operated bycranks l2 and links 13 from levers 14, which are connected by links 15 to the crossover-shafts. All theparts above described may be of any other usualor suitable form.

Referring now to the features of construction in which the invention is especially em- 0 bodied, the high-pressure and intermediatepressure cylinders are separated sutficiently to permit the crossover rock-shafts of the valve-movement to be mounted between them. These cross-over rock-shafts K L are 5 .mounted in brackets 16 on the supports 20 of the high-pressure cylinders and are provided with the usual cranks l at their opposite ends, to which the links 11 are connected for operating the admission-valves, and with too the cranks 2, to which the links 15 are connected for operating the high-pressure cut- 0E valves, so that the admission-va1ves on each side are operated from the opposite side of the engine and the cut-off valves from their own side, as usual in this class of engines, and the rock-shafts K L are also provided with the usual levers 17 for operating the rock-shafts. These levers 17, however, instead of swinging in line with the cylinders and being operated by cross-heads on the piston-rods, as usual in duplex engines, are mounted between supports 20, which support the high-pressure cylinders and are operated from rods M, which enter the lowpressure cylinders and are connected to the low-pressure pistons N, these rods M operating the levers 17 through links 18 connected to studs 3 on the rods M and to the ends of the levers 17.

The construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is substantially the same as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 except that the engine is a compound engine, so that the third cylinders A A are omitted. The arrangement of the crossovershafts and means for operating them are the same as in Figs. 1 and 2, the brackets 16 for the crossover-shafts being mounted on supports 21 on the top of the high-pressure cylinders B B. The same letters of reference are used for corresponding parts in the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and the previous description will apply to this construction also.

While no cut-off valves are shown on the cylinders B B. in either of the constructions illustrated, it will be obvious that such cutoff valves, if used, will be operated from the crossover-shafts through direct and short connections, as in the case of the cut-off valves of the cylinders A A;

It will be understood that modifications may be made in the construction, arrangement, and position of the rock-shafts and means for operating them without departing from the invention, and I am not to be limited to the exact construction shown. Thus while I preferably mount the rock-shafts in the position shown for economy of space, convenience, and equalization of the length of the links the invention, considered broadly, includes constructions in which the rockshafts are mounted in any other position along or between or at the end of any of the cylinders.

What is claimed is- 1. In an expansion duplex engine having two or more cylinders on each side, the combination with the valves, of rock-shafts extending across the engine and connected to the valves for operating the valves on each side of the engine from the opposite side, rockshaft-operating rods carried by the pistons of the larger cylinders, and connections between said rods and the rock-shafts.

sides of the engine and their valves, of rockshafts mounted between the high and intermediate pressure cylinders and extending across the engine and connected to the valves for operating the valves on each side of the engine from the opposite side, rock-shaft-opcrating rods connected to the low-pressure pistons, and connections between said rods and the rock-shafts.

4. In a triple-expansion duplex engine, the combination with the cylinders on opposite sides of the engine and their valves, of rockshafts mounted between the high and intermediate pressure cylinders and extending across the engine and connected to the valves for operating the valves on each side of the engine from the opposite side for admission and operating the high-pressure cylindervalves by their own side for cttt-oiirock-shaftoperating rods connected to thelow-pressure pistons, and connections between said rods and the rock-shafts.

5. The combination with the cylinders B, O, and B, O, on opposite sides of the engine, and their valves, of rock-shafts K, L mounted outside the smaller cylinders B, B and connected to the valves, rods M carried by the pistons N of the larger cylinders O, G and extending between the cylinders B, B, and connections from the rods M to the rock-shafts K, L between the cylinders B, B, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the high, intermediate and low pressure cylinders A, B, O, and A, B, G, on opposite sides of the engine, and their valves, of rock-shafts K, L mounted between the cylinders A, A and B, B and connected to the valves, rods M carried by the low-pressure pistons N, and connections from the rodsM to the rock-shafts K, L, between the cylinders B, B, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. WILLIAM 0. BROWN.

Witnesses:

W. H. KENNEDY, J. A. GRAVES. 

